NFL Player News

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that Mullens will continue to start at quarterback while Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) is unavailable, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Playing with a skeleton crew Thursday, Mullens completed 22 of 35 passes for 291 yards, a touchdown and an interception in a 34-17 loss to the Packers. Shanahan has a history of going back-and-forth between Mullens and C.J. Beathard, but the coach seems content to stick with Mullens for at least one more game as the 49ers travel to New Orleans in Week 10.

Garoppolo hasn't been recommended surgery from any of the doctors he's visited with since suffering a right high ankle sprain in last week's loss to the Seahawks, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Garoppolo missed two games earlier this season after spraining the same ankle, and though he looks poised to avoid surgery following his latest setback, he'll be in store for a lengthier recovery period this time around. For now, Garoppolo will treat the injury with rest and rehab for the next 4-to-6 weeks before the 49ers re-evaluate him for a potential return from injured reserve. Coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged earlier this week that Garoppolo isn't a lock to make it back from IR this season, and the 4-5 49ers' standing in the NFC playoff picture once December arrives will likely play a factor in any decision about the quarterback's activation. Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard will serve as the 49ers' signal-callers for however long Garoppolo remains sidelined.

Darnold (shoulder) will be limited in Friday's practice, Connor Hughes of The Athletic reports.

Though a recent MRI detected no new structural damage to Darnold's throwing shoulder, the quarterback still sat out practice Thursday while tending to normal soreness following last week's loss to the Chiefs. Coach Adam Gase has expressed optimism that Darnold will be ready to start Monday's game in New England, and the 23-year-old will still have another chance to increase his practice reps Saturday to clear up any concern about his Week 9 status.

Trubisky won't require surgery on his right shoulder and will continue undergoing rehab in Chicago, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The 26-year-old visited Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Thursday to determine whether surgery would be necessary, and it appears the quarterback received good news during the appointment. The Bears are viewing Trubisky as week-to-week, so it wouldn't be surprising if he remained sidelined through the team's Week 11 bye.

Mullens completed 22 of 35 passes for 291 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the 49ers' 34-17 loss to the Packers on Thursday night. He also rushed once for no gain and lost a fumble.

The third-year signal caller certainly finished the game with solid fantasy numbers, but those were largely the result of Mullens picking it up in the fourth quarter. He displayed excellent rapport with Richie James (ankle) in particular, with a whopping 184 of Mullens' yardage tally on the night going to the third-year receiver. Mullens was playing at a significant disadvantage with his top four targets (Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Kendrick Bourne and George Kittle) all sidelined by injury or COVID-19, so all told, his struggles for most of the night were understandable. Mullens will look to regroup and turn in an even better performance versus the Saints in a Week 10 matchup in Sunday, Nov. 15.

Rodgers completed 25 of 31 passes for 305 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in the Packers' 34-17 win over the 49ers on Thursday night. He also rushed once for seven yards.

Four days after the Packers suffered a surprising home loss to the Vikings, Rodgers helped ensure there would be no second straight upset. He got off to a hot start and never looked back, hitting Davante Adams for a 36-yard touchdown to cap off a crisp opening 75-yard drive and adding scoring tosses of one and 52 yards to Marcedes Lewis and Marquez Valdes-Scantling before halftime. Rodgers would hit MVS again for another score early in the second half, giving the perennial Pro Bowl signal caller a quartet of four-touchdown efforts thus far this season. Having righted his team's ship after its Week 8 stumble, Rodgers will look to carry over the momentum into a Week 10 battle against the Jaguars on Sunday, Nov. 15.

The 49ers officially placed Garoppolo (ankle) on injured reserve Thursday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

The transaction was merely a formality, as head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted Wednesday that Garoppolo could be done for the season after aggravating a high-ankle sprain in last week's loss to the 49ers. At the very least, Garoppolo will have to miss three games by virtue of landing on IR, so the 49ers will turn the offense over to Nick Mullens in the meantime.

Stafford's wife, Kelly, said Thursday in a story on her personal Instagram account that the quarterback and the rest of his family has remained COVID-19 negative through two rounds of testing.

The Lions placed Stafford on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, but his wife's comments indicate that the quarterback didn't test positive for the coronavirus and was instead deemed a high-risk contact of someone who did. Because he was placed on the list, Stafford still won't be eligible for activation until Sunday, assuming he continues to test negative in each of the upcoming days. That theoretically leaves the door open for Stafford to start Sunday's game in Minnesota, in which case the Lions would have to arrange private travel for him. Additionally, since Stafford is only able to take part in virtual meetings this week rather than appearing in practice, fantasy managers may justifiably have some reservations about using him, despite a favorable matchup versus one of the NFL's worst pass defenses. Chase Daniel would draw the Week 9 start if the Lions elect to delay Stafford's activation until after Sunday.

An MRI didn't reveal any structural damage to Darnold's shoulder, with coach Adam Gase noting that the QB is "just sore," Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

Though Darnold won't practice Thursday, Gase has expressed confidence that the signal-caller will be able to play Monday night against the Patriots. Darnold has two more chances this week to get in practice reps in advance of that contest.

Trubisky is scheduled to visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Thursday to gather more information about the right shoulder injury he suffered in Sunday's loss to the Saints, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Garafolo reported Wednesday that the Bears expect Trubisky to miss at least a few weeks with the injury, which could be similar to the issue that resulted in him missing two games during the 2018 season. On that occasion, Trubisky was able to avoid procedures on his labrum and rotator cuff, but surgery apparently hasn't been ruled out this time around, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Trubisky will likely await feedback from Dr. ElAttrache before determining whether surgery is his best option, or if he can treat the injury through rest and rehab.